He has dominated from the first shot to the last, and he has won in a playoff with Jim Furyk. He has driven well but putted horribly and vice versa. He has won after hitting a ball over the clubhouse and, famously, in the dark with fans using lighters to illuminate the 18th green much like they'd do at a rock concert encore.

"I've done it all different ways, that's the thing,'' Woods told reporters before practicing Wednesday at Firestone Country Club before the tournament begins Thursday.

"Some years I've striped it and have really played well, and other years I've hit it all over the lot and had to be creative, and I've chipped and putted and holed out. It's been such a mixed bag, and I think that's what happens when you win that many times. You can't always do it the same way.

"I feel comfortable on this golf course, and I think that's the key. I've played it when it's been baked out and fast and is hard and other times when it's soft and slow.''

Woods said he's feeling good after spending part of last week in the Bahamas with his two children. He seems to have recovered from fading in the final round of the British Open at Muirfield two weeks ago. He was in second place, tied with Hunter Mahan, and trailing leader Lee Westwood by two shots heading into the final round before shooting a 3-over 74.

"I had a chance to win and didn't quite get it done on Sunday,'' he said. "There were so many positives to the week, how well I hit it and how well I played….I just didn't get the feel of those greens the last few days, and I didn't make the adjustments. That's my fault for not making adjustments.''

Key pairings: Woods will tee off at 9:20 a.m. Thursday on the 10th tee with Hideki Matsuyama.

Other high-profile pairings on Thursday include Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott, following Woods and Matsuyama off No. 10 at 9:30 a.m., and Bubba Watson and Miguel Angel Jimenez tee off No. 10 at 10 a.m. See all the Thursday-Friday tee times here.

On No. 1, Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler tee off at 1:10 p.m., Rory McIlroy and Brandt Snedeker tee off at 1:30 p.m. and British Open winner Phil Mickelson and U.S. Open winner Justin Rose tee off at 1:40 p.m. Cleveland native Jason Dufner tees off with partner Chris Wood at 9 a.m. on No. 10.

Presidents Cup news: The Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, located in the Sondo International Business District in Incheon, Korea, will host the biennial Presidents Cup in 2015, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced Wednesday. Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, will host the 2013 Presidents Cup the first week of October.

Couples league: McIlroy dodged a question about golf legend Gary Player telling a British radio show that McIlroy needs to ''find the right wife.''

When asked about McIlroy, Player told My Sporting Life, "When you’re in love as a young man naturally golf seems to take second place for a while. It’s natural. Love is still the greatest thing that ever happens in our lives. But the thing is for a man like Rory with talent galore he’s got to make sure he has a woman like I’ve got, who has been married [to me] for 56 years, that has only encouraged me to do well and made sacrifices. He’s got to be intelligent and find the right wife. If he finds the right wife, if he practices and if he’s dedicated, he could be the man.''

McIlroy, who has been dating tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, told reporters at Firestone on Wednesday that he was unaware of the comments.

"I have the utmost respect for Gary Player,'' McIlroy said. "He is an incredible man. Obviously, the success he's had on the golf course, but just the way he's lived his life and how healthy he is. Obviously, he's an inspiration for everyone. I don't know what he said. This is the first time I've heard it. I don't really know. All I know is I've got a lot of respect for the man, and he's someone that I definitely look up to.''

What an animal: Snedeker, who went on to win the RBC Canadian Open last weekend after second-round leader Mahan withdrew when his wife went into labor with their first child before the start of the third round, appreciates the importance of family. On Tuesday, he and his wife took their children, 2-1/2-year-old Lily and 9-month-old Austin, to the Akron Zoo.

"Got to see the penguins, that kind of stuff,'' said Snedeker, who has promised to send newborn Zoe Mahan a very nice birthday present. "Penguins and the otters for my daughter. She's still a little depressed they didn't have a giraffe, but we can go to the Cleveland Zoo, I guess, and get that covered next time.''

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